Cowboys and Mustangs

Prologue- Codi

I lock the stall door at the El Paso Arena Stables and I say goodbye to my pretty mare, Oakley. Her name coming from the famous Annie Oakley. I put the key in my back pocket and then make my way out to my dodge pickup, ready to head to the bar.

A bunch of friends of mine are heading to Billey's Bar, since they just got done competing in the El Paso Rodeo. Where they competed in a rodeo, I competed in a mounted shooting competition, to which I took home the biggest check with the best time, earning myself a night out.

I'm dressed in a pair of Kimes Ranch skinny jeans, a Wild West graphic tee, my red Old Ringo boots, and a vintage turquoise belt buckle. I wore my wild hair down, letting it's natural semi-wavy style show. I looked in the mirror of my pickup and fixed my smudged mascara, and decided that I looked good enough to start heading out.

I smiled when I saw the bright red neon sign of Billey's Bar. I loved going to honky tonks, dancing and having the time of my life. I park my pickup by the rest of my friends, because as usual, I was late. It was about 10:00 and we were supposed to meet at 9:30, whoops. I jog to the door and haul it open, revealing the sound of classic country music, laughter, and the sight of couples dancing with each other.

I walk in, looking around the bar for my friends. "There she is!" I heard my friend Brent's voice and as he appears out of the crowd and reaches for my hand. "C'mon you're missing the electric slide!" He says as he dragged me across the floor and onto the dance floor and we joined the rest of our friends and other strangers as we danced.

Back home, everyone loves when I come to the bar because quite frankly, I'm a good time. I get the party started, I'm a good dancing partner, and I can hold my liquor. As much as I love to go out, I only go out on the weekends. During the week I'm too busy with my personal business, ranching, school, and my training. I liked to keep myself busy, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to have fun.

After a few songs of nonstop dancing, we decide to go to the bar and grab a drink. I sat in the middle of my friends as they all grabbed beers, but I wasn't in the mood for beer. "You heading home tomorrow, Codi?" Kayla asks me as she sits down on her boyfriend's, Eric lap.

"Yep, gotta check up on the three stooges." I say, referring to my three older brothers. I've been gone for four months for my summer competition.

It's hard for me to leave our ranch, because I'm the one who does the financial part of it, and I'm not sure if those boys can even count to ten. They do a great job with raising the horses and doing the handy work, but once it comes down to using their brains, they have no clue. They're lucky to have me.

"I'm sure they miss having you around." Brent says as he sips his beer.

"I miss them too, but I only can be around them for so long before I start to loose brain cells." I joke because in honestly, I really miss my brothers. They were the stereotypical brothers: teasing, protective, loving, stupid, gross, bullheaded, and my big teddy bears. But I love em for it.

"Okay, who's ready for another dance?" Marshall asks as he stands up from his stool.

"I am!" The rest says as the follow him.

"I'll meet up with you, I gotta look at something!" I say over the loud music as I hold up my phone. I look at my maps in my phone and try to find the best route back to Wyoming. I wanted to leave early in the morning, and I didn't want to map it out then. Just wake up, shower and get on the road and drive.

When I find it, I star it on my maps and then hop off my stool, but as I start to walk to the dance floor, I decide I need a drink. I turn on my heel and walk back to the bar and lean against it. "A shot of Jack and rum and diet." I say to the bartender and he nods and walks away.

As soon as I look to my right, I see a pair of brown eyes under a cowboy hat already lookin at me. Holy hot hell he was finer than a frog hair

The light stubble coating his cheek and jaws was every cowgirls fantasy. He is very attractive. I give him a polite soft smile and then look back at the decorations hanging over the bar. "Come here often?" He speaks, gaining my attention.

I try my hardest not to laugh at his lame pickup line, but a light laugh escapes my mouth. I sit on the stool next to him and smirk, "Maybe," he just looks at me with his brown eyes and smirks, "How 'bout you?"

He looks at me and flashes a grin, "Maybe." He copies me, earning a playful glare from me. "You here for the rodeo?" He asks as he puts his beer down.

"No sir." I say as I smile when the bartender brings me my drink.

"Then what for? For the cowboys?" He says as he looks me up and down, mostly looking at my belt buckle. Then I realize he must think I'm some sort of a buckle bunny, the thought makes me laugh. He waits for an answer as we look into each other's eyes, and I decide to play with him.

"I'm a professional dancer." I lie to him as I hop off my stool and lean my side against the bar and look him in the eyes. I try to give him a sly smirk, hoping he won't catch onto my lie.

"Really?" He asks interested, but not in a convincing way.

"Oh yeah, I love dancing with a bunch of cowboys like you." I try to say in my best girly tone, toying with him, secretly enjoying my little lie.

"You'll have to save me a dance." He seductively says with a flirty smirk. To have more fun, I decide to get closer to him and lean closer to him. When I see him start to lean up, I grab my shot of whiskey and down it right in front of him.

I give him my devil's grin and slam the glass back down, "Thanks for the drink." I say and then walk away from him, leaving him with a disappointed frown and making him pay for my shot.

I walk to the dance floor with a victorious smile as I start to dance with my friends. Brent snatches me and brings me closer to him as we start to do a traditional two step. I start to laugh with him as we almost run into a biker couple, who looked like two angry bulldogs.

As we continue to dance, I look over Brent's shoulders and peek back at the bar. I find the cowboy already looking at me, causing an unexpected blush to form on my face. Then he reaches beside him and picks up a refilled shot glass and respectfully raises it to me, and drinks it with a smile on his face.

A smile that I wouldn't forget.